


Chapter 6: Taken For A Fool

by distantlight



Series: Albus & Scorpius: Life Is Simple In The Moonlight [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/M, Forbidden Forest, LGBT, M/M, Scorbus, Yule Ball, queer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 03:54:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7997623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/distantlight/pseuds/distantlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scorpius is missing and behaving erratically. Albus is searching the castle for him, but isn't prepared for what he might find.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chapter 6: Taken For A Fool

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 6 of the [Albus & Scorpius: Life Is Simple In The Moonlight](http://archiveofourown.org/series/539242) series.

Albus shivered as he hurried down the stone corridor that led away from the Great Hall. The close fitting black dress robes that Scorpius had bought him might have looked stylish, but they were not designed for the cold, stone, sparsely heated passages of the castle on a snowy December evening.

Albus was still bemused as to why Scorpius had disappeared so suddenly from the party. Scorpius had been looking forward to the Yule Ball excitedly for weeks, and was usually the last one in bed at such gatherings. The previous year he had tried firewhisky for the first time and stayed up singing songs in the common room until 4AM, collapsed on the floor in uncontrollable laughter, the room spinning before him. He had only gone to bed because a prefect had demanded he stop - Albus had to be woken up to reason with his friend, since he was the only one Scorpius would listen to. Albus had scooped him up and staggered up the steps to the dormitory straining under the weight of his friend. He smiled at the memory.

Tonight had been the polar opposite. Scorpius had scowled through most of the proceedings and drifted away not long after they had arrived. Partly this could be explained by his disastrous date, a conceited girl called Rebecca Nelson with whom he had nothing in common. But Albus had still expected him to stay until the ball finished; Scorpius was blunt and arrogant enough to ditch his date and ask other girls to dance if Rebecca had irritated him that much.

"Ouch!" Lost in thought, Albus had managed to walk into another student and knock them over. "Sorry, I didn't see you," he muttered as he helped the boy to his feet. It was James Creevey, a sixth year and the star chaser for the Griffindor Quidditch team. "Are you OK?"

"Fine," said James, shaking out his right arm, which had taken the brunt of the blow when he fell to the floor. "What about you?" James had put his elbow up instinctively when Albus rushed towards him and had caught hi square in the face.

"Yeah, I'll live," said Albus, feeling a tender bump appear on his forehead already.

"Hang on, why aren't you at the ball?" said James, somewhat accusatory. "I thought you were going with Selena – you haven't left her by herself?"

James was very protective of his fellow members of the Griffindor Quidditch team, and had a particular soft spot for Selena. He justified it to himself by reasoning that she was the youngest member of the team – he was being protective, like an older brother. It saved him from admitting the truth, that he was as infatuated with Selena as everyone else who met her. As a sixth year prefect, it did not do to be professing your attraction to a second year, even one who looked so mature.

"What's it to you?" said Albus, more aggressively than he had meant to.

"Nothing – except that she is a member of my house, and as a prefect I have a responsibility to look after the younger students."

_And you fancy her_ , thought Albus with a smirk.

"I left her with her brother, if you must know. So you'll have to get past him if you want to chat her up."

"I...you...what on earth are you talking about?!" spluttered James unconvincingly, going bright red. "I was worried for her safety, that was all!"

"Well, she is dancing with her brother, surrounded by the whole school and a load of teachers, so you can stop worrying."

"Well...good," said James lamely. He looked so embarrassed and flustered that Albus felt a little ashamed of calling him out – James was one of the nicer pupils at the school, and actually made an effort to engage Albus in conversation, when most students ignored him, put off by his brooding exterior. Or else only wanted to know him because of his father.

"Nice shoes," said Albus in a conciliatory tone, noting the sleek, shiny black brogues James was wearing under his dress robes.

"Oh, thank you," replied James, returning to his bright smile. "I purchased them at Gladrags in Hogsmeade. So why _aren't_ you at the ball – did you get bored and decide to leave? I don't blame you, not much of a dancer myself to tell you the truth."

"No," said Albus. "Scorpius disappeared, so I've come to look for him. You haven't see him have you?"

"Afraid not," said James. "Have you tried the common room?"

"Not yet," said Albus. "How come _you_ aren't at the ball? Weren't you meant to be going with Alice Fairweather?"

"Yes, I'm just heading back there now. I was just making sure Rose Weasley was alright – she got stood up by her date, you know. Alice found her crying in a bathroom, and we took her back to the Griffindor common room. She was in a bit of a state, to be honest. Had been drinking straight rum, vomited all over the statue of Gregory the Smarmy. I didn't have the heart to dock her any house points, given how upset she was..."

"Is she alright?" said Albus with concern.

"She will be," said James sagely. "Needs some sleep and a few days to get over the humiliation of being stood up. Left her up there by the fire. Anyway, must be off – me and Alice want to get the last dance to the orchestra, before they put on that dreadful techno music!"

And with that James trotted away towards the Great Hall with a cheery wave.

 

\----

 

Albus sighed and considered his dilemma. If his cousin was crying in the Griffindor common room, it seemed rather cold of him to leave her there all alone. Rose had always been there for him at Hogwarts, always tried to include him and get him out of himself, even if he did find it irritating occasionally when he just wanted to be left alone to lie on his bed and read.

Then again, Scorpius could be in trouble, wandering the castle alone – at least he knew Rose was safe. Albus dawdled for what seemed like an eternity trying to decide which way the pendulum would fall – his distraught cousin, or the best friend that she hated. If only the two most important people in his life had been on better terms, he thought bitterly. Then, he could have met Rose first and enlisted her to help in the search for Scorpius. Unfortunately, she made no secret of how much she despised his friend, and in particular his family with their dark shadowy past. She disapproved strongly of the friendship Albus shared with him.

Eventually the twin twinges of desire and curiosity swung the matter – Albus desired to be with the best friend he was quietly falling in love with, and was also curious to see where Scorpius had got to. _He's probably just in the Slytherin common room getting wasted_ , thought Albus, and feeling slightly ashamed to have abandoned his cousin for his own gratification he set off down towards the dungeons.

Forty five minutes of searching later he was forced to admit he was stumped. He had checked every corner of the castle, every freezing cold passage, every secluded bathroom. He had even checked Moaning Myrtle's disgusting cubicle, but all that was in there were stained discarded plastic bags, puddles of dirty looking water and a rusting razor blade.

At least all the rushing around had warmed him up, although this was short lived – as soon as he slipped quietly out of the front door of the castle he was met by a blizzard, as swirling winds whipped thick, icy snowflakes at his face. Albus cursed his stupidity for not picking up a warm coat when he was checking their dormitory – in his rush he hadn't even thought about it.

He had decided to check their secret cabin in the Forbidden Forest as a last resort. Albus felt sure Scorpius wouldn't have braved a blizzard to go and sit there alone. They had always been gone together before, talking and drinking and laughing. It was their refuge from the world. Still, there didn't seem to be anywhere else to check, so with a sigh Albus walked out into the snowy night.

Albus could barely see five metres in front of him as he battled through the weather. Snow was settling quickly on the floor, hampering his process as he crunched methodically along. Using a compass spell he was able to use his wand to guide him in the general direction in which he needed to go, but the snow seemed to be getting thicker down this path, and at one point it slipped over and into his boots, soaking his socks and causing them to squelch unpleasantly as he powered on. His face was almost numb from the cold, and if he hadn't kept flexing his fingers he was sure his hand would have seized up.

The Yule Ball had obviously escalated – he could hear glitchy dance music echoing through the air, making him feel slightly unsettled. When he turned to look back at the majestic castle he could just decipher through the blizzard some spectacular strobe lights of every colour shooting from the huge Georgian windows in the Great Hall.

It was with relief that he finally arrived at the thick pocket of trees at the entrance to the forest.

" _Lumos,_ " he muttered, and by the light of his wand he was able to walk quickly through the pine trees to their secret hideout. The snow hadn't been able to penetrate the thick, evergreen branches of the trees and it was much easier from this point, Albus breaking into a trot, flattening bracken and snapping twigs on the ground.

Albus & Scorpius had put enchantments that only they knew around the clearing, to stop it being discovered. Albus tapped the bewitched conifer tree at the entrance with his wand, and whispered the password "amicus meus". The tree bent slightly to let him through into a small spherical clearing with a cozy wooden cabin in the centre. 

With a jolt of excitement Albus could see the light of a flame flickering under the door – Scorpius was here after all. He didn't know what gave him more satisfaction – the thought that he would soon be seeing his best friend or the fact that his arduous journey through the snow had not been wasted. Albus fully intended to lay on the sob story when he got inside – he could get plenty of mileage and sympathy out of his sodden footwear and frozen hands. 

_I hope he has brought some firewhisky_ , thought Albus. _And some lube_ , said a little voice in his head, which he pushed aside with a grin. 

He crept up to the entrance, hoping to surprise Scorpius. Albus was in a playful mood, intending to make Scorpius jump out of his skin in fright - it would serve him right for abandoning him at the ball. Feeling a flutter of anticipation in his stomach, he took a swig of Volcanic Vodka, relishing the fiery burning sensation as it dripped down his throat. 

Albus opened the door silently and his stomach gave a sudden lurch that had nothing to do with the industrial strength liquor he had just consumed. 

Scorpius was on top of someone, kissing them furiously, his robes hitched up to reveal his underwear. Frozen in shock, Albus could not admire the perfect curvature of his friends bum, outlined through the almost transparent white boxer shorts. He couldn't admire the sublime firmness of the thighs. He couldn't admire the blond hair illuminated by a flickering flame, wet with sweat. 

He couldn't admire any of this, because there was a pale hand running down the back of Scorpius' thighs, grasping his buttocks, reaching inside the white cotton – the hand of Rose Weasley. 

\----- 

For a moment Albus was innate with shock. Then Rose gave a slight scream at seeing him silhouetted in the doorway, pale and soaking wet framed against the snowy storm. Scorpius turned his head around, and in the brief moment Albus made eye contact he saw a mingle of surprise and embarrassment in the eyes of the blond boy. Rose rolled out from underneath Scorpius and hitched her dress up, seemingly at a loss for words. 

Albus didn't wait for an explanation – he turned on his heel and ran away. He rushed back through the forbidden forest, tripping over branches, grazing both his knees, the snow mingling with tears running down his face. The only light was that created by the thin sliver of ice on the forest floor, and Albus ran head on into a thick bramble bush, which ripped his expensive robes to pieces and embedded thorns in his arm leaving trickles of blood running at all angles. He collapsed face down on the forest floor and wept for a brief moment, before picking himself up and breaking into a run again – he didn't want Scorpius or Rose to catch up with him, didn't want to have to face them, show them what it had meant to him to see that scene. 

Slipping and sliding, he finally made his way back up to the castle door. The corridors were now busy with life, people leaving the ball and walking back to their dormitories. He heard several voices call after him, concerned about the trail of blood he was leaving on the floor and his shredded robes which were wet through with the torrents of snow that had engulfed him. He ran breathlessly back up to the common room and straight up the stone steps to his dormitory, ignoring the dozens of heads that turned around in shock at the site of this bedraggled, bloody figure sprinting into the Slytherin dungeons. He lunged into his dormitory and locked the door firmly behind him, ignoring the loud knocks and the voices bellowing from behind the oak asking if he was alright. 

The dormitory was mercifully empty, sparing him further questioning. He took his ruined robes off, throwing them savagely on the floor, and staggered into the bathroom trying to recover himself. After ten minutes under a boiling shower he had finally warmed through, although the icy knife that was prodding at his heart continued to twist. 

He didn't know why he was so upset – he had always expected this to happen. Even when Rose was disparaging and insulting about Scorpius there was something in her eyes that had made Albus think she might secretly enjoy the attention his friend gave her. He was blond, athletic, unmistakably beautiful – she was fiery, warm, with flowing red hair and a wonderfully proportioned body. The best looking boy and girl in the year. Even with Rose's hatred of everything associated with the word Malfoy, Albus had still thought it a distinct possibility that they would end up together. 

Not that any of that compensated for the shock of seeing them there, together, tonight. Albus turned the shower off, enjoyed the silence for a minute, and then wrapped a towel around himself and cleaned his teeth. The more normal he acted, the sooner he got back into routine, the quicker he could forget about this whole night. 

His stomach lurched for at least the third time in the last hour when he exited the bathroom – Scorpius was sat on the edge of his bed. He looked contrite, ashamed; his eyes had lost their glint of humor and life. 

Albus had planned to dive under his sheets, thrust the curtains shut and go to sleep without talking to anyone, especially Scorpius. But since his friend was perched on top of his duvet this was not a possibility. 

His face was already glowing pink from the hot water in the shower, and now it blushed a dark shade of maroon. Albus wished he could act normally, nonchalantly, crack jokes and laugh about the awkwardness of it all like most boys would if they walked in on their best friend in a compromising position with a girl. He wished he could give a wide smile and say "Nice one mate, she is hot!" like Vince Crane would have done. But he had never been able to hide his emotions, and he felt only bitterness and resentment. 

"Good fuck, was she," he said through gritted teeth. 

"I didn't fuck her," said Scorpius. 

"Must be losing your touch," spat Albus. "Looked like you were onto a sure thing there. But then again, you seem to like leading people on and then backing out at the last minute. By tomorrow you will be pretending that nothing ever happened." 

"I'm sorry mate, I really am." 

"Sorry for what? You got what you wanted. Finally took the beautiful prom queen Rose Weasley to bed." 

"I already told you, we didn't go to bed." 

"Well, no," said Albus. "There isn't a bed in there. Why would there me - it was OUR place. Remember what we said when we built it – a place just for the two of us, nobody else allowed, a place to shut the world out and be together. They were just meaningless words to you. Nothing means anything in your world. Turns out you only wanted it so you had a convenient place to take your little whore back to." 

As soon as he had said this Albus regretted it. Rose had treated him with immense kindness, and here he was throwing disgusting insults at her – just because she had kissed his friend. She wasn't in the wrong, she didn't know how close Albus and Scorpius had become, how confused their relationship was. 

"Take that back!" said Scorpius hotly. "She's not a whore – how can you say that about your own cousin. Show some respect." 

Albus walked to the window and stared out of it, close to tears, knowing he was in the wrong. 

"Suppose that is the only reason you were friends with me," he said miserably. "So you could get close to my cousin." 

"Don't be ridiculous," said Scorpius. "Do you really think I'd spend four years hanging around with you just to try and get close to a girl who hated my guts? None of this was planned. It just happened." 

"Just happened did it? Just happened when you slipped out of the Yule Ball and conveniently disappeared to have your cozy little private party." 

"It wasn't like that," said Scorpius angrily. "While Rebecca and I were getting drinks one of Rose's friends told me she had been stood up and was crying in a bathroom. I went to look for her to make sure she was alright. I tracked her down in the Griffindor common room. We aren't allowed in there, so I suggested we went down to our place in the forest so she could have some privacy while she recovered herself. She was upset and we started drinking. One thing led to another. She feels awful about it, didn't even speak to me when we left to try and find you. She is really upset, you know." 

"I'm fucking upset," shouted Albus. "But you don't give a toss about that. Everything that happened at the lake last month...we are meant to just ignore it, pretend that it never happened? Because I can't anymore. It meant something to me. I realize it was nothing to you, just a way to waste time on a boring evening, just another game to be played...I just wish you'd stop playing your games with me." 

"It wasn't nothing. It meant something to me as well," said Scorpius quietly, looking once again jittery and tired. He was shivering violently, the alcohol wearing off. He went to stand up and suddenly his legs gave out from under him and he dropped to his knees, managing to stagger over to his own bed where he dry heaved. 

"Are you alright?" said Albus, briefly unable to hide the fear and concern on his face. 

"Feel a bit ill to be honest," said Scorpius weakly, shivering more than ever. 

"Good," spat Albus, climbing into his own duvet and with a flick of his wand closing the curtains so he was hidden from view. 

_"Silencio_ ," he whispered, creating a soundproof ring around his bed. He prayed that the spell had worked, so Scorpius wouldn't hear his loud, dejected sobs as he cried himself to sleep. 


End file.
